When looking for an internship in fashion last Thanksgiving, senior Jimmy Hurley stumbled upon an opportunity to work for John Martinez Productions, one of the biggest names in the industry.
“I learned a lot about what the work day was like,” Hurley said. “I would have to get up at 8 in the morning, and I wouldn’t go to bed until really late. I gained a lot of mental strength and learned a lot about how I functioned under a structure like that.”
John Martinez is a childhood best friend of Hurley’s aunt.
“He’s the go-to production person in the fashion industry,” Hurley said.
Martinez produces for Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors and Saks Fifth Avenue. Because of his high-level clients, he was nervous about letting a 17-year-old like Hurley on his team.
“He was nervous that I wouldn’t be qualified enough because most of his team was out of college and I hadn’t worked in fashion before,” Hurley said. “However, it ended up working out very well. Trinity actually helped a lot with teaching me professionalism and how to act in workplace situations.”
Hurley worked at both New York Fashion Week in New York City from Sept. 7-14 and a swimsuit fashion week in Miami from July 13-17. Hurley gained a variety of skills from the different shows.
“Swim Week is more high-energy, while New York Fashion Week is very professional,” Hurley said. “For example, one of my shows at Swim Week was three hours late, and it wasn’t a big deal, but in New York everything had to be exactly on time.”
Hurley had a slightly different role in each show. At Swim Week, because it was his first time on the job, Hurley worked as an intern and did a lot of lower-level grunt work. In New York, because he had already proven himself, he worked as a production assistant. He even got to run one of the shows in New York.
“My job was a runner, which means that during the show I ran around making sure all the models were in the right order and were wearing the right things,” he said.
Hurley is thinking about pursuing a fashion degree in college. Since he loves to draw, he became interested in fashion a few years ago due to its artistic aspect. He then began to design costumes for Trinity’s thespian troupe last year, which led to his interest in high-fashion. He enjoyed the concept of combining art and practical elements into a single product.
“Most people wouldn’t wear the clothes in a lot of runway shows on the street, but that’s the point of it,” Hurley said. “I like drawing high-fashion the best because it’s more fun and artistic.”
Hurley is interested in working in the design aspect of the industry rather than in production, but he is still grateful for the opportunity.
“From the outside, it seems like the shows just happen, but there’s a whole week of set-up and preparation before fashion week begins,” he said. “It’s a lot of prep.”
Hurley’s biggest takeaway from the experience was what he learned about both the positive and the negative aspects of the professional world. He laughingly recalled his scarring first day at work, when he had to carry three racks of expensive clothes alone across Miami.
“I learned a lot about the fashion world and how it works,” Hurley said. “It really helps knowing that I have an in, and that I’ve already had some job experience. Now I know how everything happens backstage instead of just seeing it on the surface level.”
Even though it was a learning experience, Hurley had fun as well.
“I didn’t realize that the working world could be fun too,” Hurley said. “My first day at Swim Week, I was super scared and quiet, but it became more fun as it went on. I learned that no matter what you’re doing, you have to try to have fun with it.”
Hurley saw many of his favorite celebrities, such as Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell and Amanda Lepore at shows, though he had to act professional with them because of his position. One of his most memorable moments from Fashion Week was when he encountered Lepore in an elevator.
“That was one of the moments where it hit me that I was at Fashion Week,” he said. “When I was manning the door to the stage during the show, I got to see all the paparazzi and all the crazy outfits that people were wearing. It was super fun to see all these people who I follow on social media and who I see on the news in person, even though I had to be super chill about it.”
